The Day the World Turned Black
by Xirysa
Summary: Pre-FE6: She helped him make the world seem just a little bit lighter. Farina and Hector.


**Xirysa Says:** Once again, this one is probably not that good at all. So just bear with me if you happened to decide that your were going to read this, alright?

* * *

The Day the World Turned Black

-x-x-x-

He watched them lower the casket into the ground, his face expressionless. Somewhere inside him, Hector kept expecting the lid of the casket to pop open and for her to jump out with a smile on her lips. _I got you, Lord Hector,_ she'd say with her hands on her hips and a laugh in her voice. _I got you good!_ And he would run to her and wrap his arms around her small body, pulling her to him as close as he could and telling her to never do something so damn stupid again.

But then she was in the ground and they were piling dirt and earth on top of her and he was walking towards Castle Ostia, alone. Sometimes, people would stop him and touch him lightly on the shoulder, on the back, on the arm. _I'm sorry for your loss,_ they'd say. _Truly, I am_.

And even though he could hear the sincerity in their voices, Hector never really believed them. No one knew what he meant to her; what they had was special, and it could never be replaced.

In an instant, his entire world had turned darker than the blackest night.

The entire service had been a quiet blur, an oddly silent thing in the normally boisterous grounds of Castle Ostia. Even _Serra_ had been still, sobbing softly from time to time in a handkerchief she clutched to her mouth. But then again, the two of them had been awfully close when Florina first came to Ostia.

Even Lyndis had come, and Kent, too. Hector didn't know how word could have gotten to them so quickly, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. Something about their presence soothed him.

The smooth stone of a pillar was cool beneath Hector's fingers as he leaned against it, a surprisingly refreshing touch after standing in the chill autumn air all morning.

Something touched his elbow, and he turned to look into a familiar face. No, not totally familar... Despite the overwhelming saddness in them, these eyes were harder, colder. They were eyes that had seen too much too soon, eyes that had matured far sooner than they had to. And the face was too gaunt, too lined with age and hunger to be her. Then Hector realized that the hair surrounding surrounding it was not a familiar lavendar, but a deep blue almost similar to his own. Something in his mind clicked, a name to match the face.

"...Farina." Hector said dully.

The woman smiled, although it seemed to pain her to do so. "Glad to see you haven't forgotten me, Lord Hector." Her voice sounded hoarse and gravelly.

And Hector smiled. It was a small smile, barely a twitch of the lips, but a smile nonetheless. "It's not exactly that easy to do that," he said, and she rolled her eyes at him before sitting on the cold floor beside him.

"Thanks a lot."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Farina spoke again. "How is she?"

Hector looked down at her. "Do you mean Lilina?"

Farina nodded. "Yeah, how is she doing?" She glared at Hector half-heartedly. "She's my only niece, I'll have you know. Any self-respecting aunt would care about her sister's child."

Hector smiled again, slightly wider this time. But it disappeared nearly as fast as it had come. "She's doing alright, I suppose. Especially given the situation." He paused and looked out over the grounds. The last of the mourners who had come to pay their respects to their beloved marchioness were just leaving. "She knows that Florina is..." he seemed to struggle with choosing the right word.

"Gone?" Farina said, and Hector nodded.

"Yes. Lilina knows that her mother is gone. I guess she just doesn't know what it means yet." He paused. "She's with Serra, if you want to see her."

"Serra?" Farina looked at Hector. "I thought you said you would never trust the woman with your children!"

He shrugged. "I've done a lot of things I said I'd never do."

Farina nodded knowingly. "I see." She stood up and brushed off her dress; Serra had lent it to her for the service, and it wouldn't do if she returned it govered with dirt and leaves. "You know, I was always jealous of the relationships Florina had with people," she said as she stood next to Hector with her arms crossed over her chest.

He blinked at her and straightened up. "Really?"

She nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Yeah. When we were kids, Fiora was always the one taking care of Florina—I'd be off trying to make money. They were really close when we were little. And then Florina met Lyn in Sacae, and one thing led to another, and she had a ton of friends." Farina reached up and moved her bangs out of her eyes. "Friends who looked at her and liked her for who she was and didn't see her as a tool or an easy lay. They saw a quiet, thoughtful girl who was as extremely nice as she was shy and hard working and not someone who would spread her legs to put dinner on the table."

Hector seemed surprised; he hadn't known that Ilia was in such a state. Farina seemed to notice this.

"It's true, you know. Ilian mercenaries aren't exactly held in the highest regard. And the fact that most of us are women doesn't help much, either." She sighed. "When I first found out that you had a thing for my little sister, I was honestly really scared. I thought you were going to be like some of the people who employ us for their own personal needs. But then I saw that you really did like her—Fiora and I both saw it, and we were happy that she finally found someone who meant a lot to her." Farina looked at Hector and smiled. "I know you were the youngest between you and your brother, but when you see your younger sibling grow and find someone they really love, it really means a lot to you."

An image of a laughing blue-haired girl in a shimmering white dress came to mind. "Is it the same way with children?" Hector asked Farina softly.

She nodded. "I suppose it is," Farina said, "but I'll probably never know." She turned to face him, and Hector was struck by how old and tired Farina looked, even though they were about the same age. There were already streaks of gray in her hair; Hector was certain that he hadn't even gotten a gray hair yet. "And I was jealous of the relationship she had with you, too. Florina always wanted to fall in love and get married, ever since she was a little girl."

"Hm? What about you and that pirate, Dark? I thought you two had something."

"Dart," Farina corrected him almost immediately. She smiled wistfully. "He died. Stupid pirate got a sword through the gut and bled to death. Anyway, I don't think I would've been cut out for marriage. Too many obligations." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm a bit tipsy. I had a lot to drink before... Well, you know." Of course. The service. "Everything I told you so far, I probably wouldn't have told you if I was sober."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Hector said slowly, "but you're right, even if you are drunk. You would have made a terrible wife. The poor bastard who was crazy enough to marry someone like you would have probably run away the first chance he got. Especially if you made him get those noble carrots." Farina glared at him, and Hector chuckled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright." She shrugged. "At times like these, it's good to know that there's still things you can laugh about in this world." She tugged at his beard. "Like this raggedy mop you call facial hair."

"Hey!" Hector said indignantly. "This raggedy mop is going to one day going to instill fear into the hearts of the enemies of Castle Ostia!"

Farina scoffed. "As if you great booming voice and that great chunk of metal you wave around blindly that you call an axe aren't enough."

"That was uncalled for, Farina." Hector said. "But thanks."

She shrugged and turned away. "For what?" But she was grinning as she walked away. "I'm going to see my niece, now. Get those noble carrots ready for when I leave. Oh, and this conversation never happened. Remember, I'm drunk."

Hector watched the woman he called his sister-in-law walk away and shook his head. Somehow, the day seemed to be just a bit brighter, and he was very thankful for that.

-x-x-x-

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**Xirysa Says:** For some reason, I am really intrigued by the interactions between siblings in the Fire Emblem world. And like many of you know, I connect with the Pegasus sisters the most, since I'm the eldest of three girls. And in that respect, I feel like Farina. Sometimes, I think that Fiora and Florina have a closer relationship with each other than with Farina, even though it's obvious that they all care about each other very much. And some of you may be thinking that prostitution may have gone a bit far—what you have to remember that Ilia is a poor nation, and that sometimes people will do desperate things for money. In fact, I would be surprised if that didn't happen. Anyway, feedback and critique are, like usual, very much welcome. And wanted. And needed. And and and and... -shot-


End file.
